The Busybee of the BCC

At the end of this month Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) Commissioner K. Jairaj completes six months in office. And people will vouch that these have been the most productive six months of the BCC ever. Roads are getting done, the city looks cleaner, the BCC appears friendlier and what's more a novel scheme - the Self-Assessment of Property Tax - has been introduced to reduce harassment of the citizens. For those unfamiliar with Jairaj, he will seem like the epitome of action orientedness. But those familiar ill know that wherever he goes, Jairaj ensures that he makes a difference to the place. As transport commissioner, commercial taxes commissioner and more recently as managing director of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited, he ensured that the organizations he headed strode forward and performed much better than ever before.

But even before he took over, Jairaj knew that the BCC was much different than all the other organizations he headed. For one thing, the BCC has 100 elected representatives from various political backgrounds and leanings and often end up pulling the commissioner in a 100 different directions. Besides, every action of his is under constant examination by not just the media but by these 100 corporators. So the problem was compounded that many more times. And lastly, unlike the other organizations the BCC handles more than 20 different functions as diverse as road repairs and infrastructure development to issuing birth and death certificates.

However, he has handled his duties with aplomb. So much so that even the corporators have nary a complaint. And he has some very definite ideas about what he wants to do for the city.

That Jairaj functions in a distinctive manner is evident from the way he goes about things. Discipline is a watch word which he always emphasizes. Uniforms, punctuality and discipline came in as soon as he took over.

Among his mantras are corporatisation, management and human resource development - and all of these have become buzz words in the BCC.

He has often said that he is a true-blue Bangalorean and wants to make it the best place in the country. "This has been the garden city and it will continue to remain so. Towards this we are giving a lot of importance to the horticulture department. Besides, corporates and companies are being encouraged to adopt parks and circles to improve the greenery of the city. Bangalore has a very distinct legacy and we do not want to give that up" he says.

Jairaj is well aware comparisons with Hyderabad are evident but would rather prefer not to comment. On the other hand he points out all the activity that is going on in the city. ``No doubt the Sirsi circle flyover is the pride of the city and all other roads leading to it are being readied. But that is not all. In the next few months the city will see an unprecedented number of infrastructure works being taken up - flyovers, subways, Passovers, under passes and such others. Whether we want to make it like some other city is a thing which remains to be seen, but we want to give the best amenities to the citizens and make it the best city in Asia,'' he says.

After Jairaj took charge, he has made some things very clear. Be it indiscriminate road digging or unauthorized hoardings, his bottom line has always been, ``No more free lunches.'' His actions have come under heavy criticism, but he has not let that bother him since he believes that he has come to the BCC to perform and obtain results. There is no doubt that he has detractors. And the most common question that people ask him wherever he goes is for how long will he be allowed to remain in the BCC. ``That is not of concern to me. I want to perform and get results as long as I am here. I also want to establish certain standards and procedures so that it becomes easier for whoever is here and the organization runs smoothly and according to certain set procedures,'' he often says. But considering the changes that the citizens have seen during the few months that he has been at the helm of affairs, not many want to wish him away. Here's wishing him all the best because in his success lies the comfort of Bangaloreans.